MaryMary
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Jun 25, 2014 21:56:13 GMT
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Post by MaryMary on Jun 3, 2015 18:32:54 GMT
We are several years away from this being a possibility, but I'm daydreaming, so humor me. Are you glad you put in a pool/bought a house with one? Do friends/acquaintances show up uninvited to swim? I've heard this can be a problem? I read that a current trend is to not have a deep end... That they don't get used that often and are safer/cheaper/easier to maintain. Thoughts? Have you had any near drownings? (This one freaks me out almost enough to reconsider putting one in, then I think of how nice it would be to swim without having to load up my car full of kids, towels, sunscreen, floaties, etc. and I'm back to pining for a pool.) Any other thoughts you want to share would be lovely.
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Post by Meri-Lyn on Jun 3, 2015 18:54:00 GMT
We're in the land of pools, so take that with a grain of salt.
YES! We're big water people, particularly DH and we wouldn't have a house that didn't have one.
No, but we don't have any friends. haha, just kidding. Like I said, we're in the land of pools, so every other person has one. There's four just in our little cul-de-sac.
DH is 6'4'. Our pool is 6 feet at it's deepest. That was the standard at the time, and he actually wanted to go deeper, but it is a small pool and the cost would've been too much (and too big of a drop-off). I haven't heard of not having one, so maybe that's a new thing.
Just me! haha. Actually, we had a worry with our then next-door neighbor. They had a small child (about 2 or 3) who was an escape artist. Scared the bejesus out of me. Now, one thing required in Florida is an enclosure or fence. If you have an enclosure, the law says that the door handle has to be 5 ft high (I think? Ours is at my chest, and I'm 5'3.) So, theoretically, a small child should not be able to reach it. I also started locking the screen door, and putting the key inside the control panel, so the pool guy could get in, when we weren't home. (Also, you know, the neighbors could have bolted their door, or you know, watched their kid, so she wasn't escaping and screaming up and down the street. But, I digress!)
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blue tulip
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Jun 25, 2014 20:53:57 GMT
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Post by blue tulip on Jun 3, 2015 19:00:51 GMT
we sold our house that had a pool last spring, and we already miss having one. we did not have a problem with uninvited guests, but we lived in a somewhat rural area- there were a couple neighbors close, but not many, and they didn't have kids our kids' ages. we invited people over often. we had a deep end, a little over 7', and it was used almost exclusively. but our boys were 9 and 6, so there were a ton of cannonballs and diving to get rings from the bottom. an all-shallow pool wouldn't have worked for us. even when the youngest couldn't swim yet, it was still worth it to have the deep end. we did have one incident, at our goodbye party before we moved. the boys had a new friend over, his parents were there too. we didn't know he didn't know how to swim, and he talked my boys into letting him in the gate to jump in the pool (they didn't know either, and there was a group of kids going back and forth from pool to hot tub). we were right outside the pool area talking to his parents, and they kinda casually looked over and said oh, is he jumping in? he can't swim. we're like what?! so my husband ran up there and sure enough the kid is on the bottom, he jumped in and brought him up. total time in water maybe 6 seconds. he was perfectly fine, got scolded by his parents. DH's phone had been in his pocket and was ruined. our hearts were racing a million miles. parents didn't seem that worried, oddly. then later she sent me a facebook message basically saying "omg, it didn't hit me til now!!"
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Deleted
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Oct 6, 2024 17:32:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2015 19:06:45 GMT
When we bought the house,no pool, one year later pool. We looked in in ground vs above ground. Well for some reason 17 years ago an in ground pool scared us to death with 2 little ones and one on the way. We bought an above ground pool and had a complete walk around deck with a fence built. You lift the ladder up and can't get on the deck. It's been 17 years and so much fun. No, people do not just show up, it's pretty easy to take care & we enjoy it from May to the end of September. We are in that pool 2 or 3 times a day. The kids will spend hours. It was one of the better investments we've made...my only regret is for what we paid for it we could have done an in ground one.
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Post by traceys on Jun 3, 2015 19:08:10 GMT
When I was married we bought a house with an in-ground pool. I was a school counselor so I had plenty of time in the summer to use it, and I did....almost every day. I loved it, but it was a lot of expense and trouble.
I didn't have any problem with people showing up to swim. I didn't encourage it, and maybe I was just lucky with my group of friends? My daughter (who was the only child at home full time then) wasn't all that interested in it, so it wasn't like she always wanted to invite friends.
We never had any bad incidents. As soon as we closed on the house (it was in the summer), I started my dd in swimming lessons. No one....not even the college kids....were ever allowed to swim alone. If I had to go in the house to get something and only one of the kids was out at the pool with me, they had to sit out until I got back. Basically we just tried to be really careful.
The deep end was only about six feet deep....I wouldn't have missed it if there were no deep end. I used the pool almost exclusively to float on a raft and read. If I ever decide to invest in another pool, it will be an above-ground that I can use for the same purpose. We had a leak in the plumbing underground and had to have a hose running water into the pool 24/7. It was a big pain to adjust the flow so it was *just right* and it was fairly expensive. But fixing it would've meant digging stuff up and we just didn't want to do that either. I moved out after my divorce, and I don't think my ex has ever opened the pool again.
I think the most important thing is figuring out exactly what you want to use the pool for, and how much you will realistically use it. Factor in the maintenance time, and cost for the chemicals, water, and electricity. Our pool pumps added about 125.00 to our monthly electric bill. Then you can figure out what kind/size is right for you.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Jun 3, 2015 19:29:11 GMT
We bought a house with a pool. I would never do it again! I am not an outdoors person so I use it maybe 1 time per year. The kids use it everyday and hubby uses it about 3x per week. Our season is late May to early Sept. Too much work and too much money for that short of time. It was fun the first couple years but it wears on ya! All the expensive chemicals dh likes to use, vacuuming all the time. Running outside in thunderstorms to clean fallen leaves from the skimmer basket so the pump doesn't break. We have had friends who ask to come over all the time to swim but none have just shown up without calling. Once you have a pool in my family that means all summer long you get asked to host all the BBQs so the poor kids have something to do. We do love to entertain but we are always stuck with family get togethers in the summer. We only had one kid jump in our pool who wasn't a good swimmer. Everyone else has been cautious at first and put on life jackets, etc. This girl was about 5 at the time, did not know how to swim and just goes barreling down the deck and just jumps in! We never let kids back there without adults so luckily one of my dh's friends was right there and immediately jumped in after her when he noticed she was struggling. We do have a gate around the pool and $1mil in liability insurance.
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Post by 1girlygirl on Jun 3, 2015 19:36:22 GMT
We had a pool at our previous house, and had an in-ground pool put in at our current house. Even though pool season isn't year round here (we open it in May and close it in September), we use it almost every day once school is out. The kids always invite friends over, and we've never had a problem with people just dropping in to swim uninvited.
As for safety, our pool has an automatic cover with a lockbox on the open/close switch. There is no way to open the pool without a key. Plus, when closed, the cover can hold twenty adults. Our kids walk across it often to retrieve things that land on the cover (ie: baseballs, soccer balls, etc). We aren't required to have a fence around the pool, but our yard was required to be fenced with a self-closing gate, which we would've done anyway. Never had any near-drowning incidents.
Our pool has a shallow shelf (probably 8' across) then it steps down to a final depth of 5'6" in the deep end. No diving board, no slide. We had a diving board at the previous house and our deep end was 9'. That was a pain to clean. Maintainence is a breeze; test and adjust the water once a week unless there are a lot of swimmers, then throw in the vac a few times per week. We open our pool by ourselves in the Spring and maintain it ourselves, but use a pool service to close it as the jets have to be blown out to prevent freezing the pipes. I would miss it if we didn't have a pool.
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MDscrapaholic
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Jun 25, 2014 20:49:07 GMT
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Post by MDscrapaholic on Jun 3, 2015 19:40:00 GMT
We had an inground salt water pool, 8 feet deep with a diving board. I loved it, loved having family/friends over. After 8 years DH got sick and I didn't have time to take care of it. I think two years went by when we didn't open it.
When we did use it again, I had to put $12K into it (replacing liner, filter, pump). I thought it was worth every penny, even though we only used it from June - end of August. We are big on family get-togethers and love swimming.
One thing you absolutely need to have, is a rider on your insurance policy to cover accidents. We had a 1 million dollar policy to cover anything that might happen (cost about $200/year). If I didn't have the rider I would not have a pool. Even though you're careful, anything can happen in the blink of an eye.
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Post by melanell on Jun 3, 2015 19:50:35 GMT
Where I lived as a child, above ground pools were the norm. My parents still have one. I think it's their 3rd.
Maybe it was because they were so common (I think at one time there were 8 pools between our block and the next.), but we never experienced any issues with people showing up uninvited. People came to swim, but they were invited. My parents' rule was that no one outside of our household was allowed in the water unless an adult was out on the deck watching.
Now, my cousins had an in-ground pool and they did have a child fall in once, but someone got to them right away. It was during a party, and apparently their parents must have each thought someone else was watching the child because they wound up at the poolside without either parent.
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Post by bc2ca on Jun 3, 2015 19:53:15 GMT
We put a pool in a few years ago and it gently slopes from 3 feet to 6 feet because we wanted a lap lane. It is an L shape with a Baja shelf at the deep end and is not small kid friendly - they can splash around and stand on the shelf, but if they step off it is into 6 feet so their parent has to be in with them. The pool is deep enough for the kids to do flips/somersaults into it but no head first diving.
I know hotels are going with shallower pools (under 4 feet) but I haven't heard that is a trend for home pools. I can't imagine not having room for underwater somersaults, etc., and all the associated costs of a deeper pool are minor. A shallower pool doesn't change any of the safety/risks factors. Knock on wood we have never had anything close to a near drowning.
As you dream, look at raised edge pools. DH won me over on this idea and I love it. I'm never worried about someone accidently falling in and it does minimize the leaves, etc., being blown in the pool.
We haven't had a problem with anyone showing up unexpectedly to use the pool but in the summer I assume the kids and friends will be in there almost daily. I do know someone when we lived in WA that would have mom's drop off their kids to play with hers and use the pool all summer long. She put a stop to it by getting certified and starting an at home swim school, so no drop offs unless the kids were paying for lessons.
We don't have to winterize our pool except to run the pump if temps drop into the 30s overnight to keep pipes from freezing (computerized system means this happens automatically) .
ETA we have a salt water system, so no chemical cost and our vacuum is continuously running with the pump. We pull it out if there are a lot of kids in, but I don't bother when doing laps or floating.
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Post by pierkiss on Jun 3, 2015 19:57:38 GMT
We bought a house last year. It came with a pool. It is not very long, and is only 5 feet deep. I freaking love it!!! It is so nice, and the kids are having an absolute blast swimming almost everyday. I have not found it to be a lot of work at all. I check and empty the filters in the morning. No biggie. I dump in some chemicals every few days. Again no biggie. Right now I'm manually vacuuming the pool about once every 2 weeks. That takes some work, but it's not really hard you know? And they make robots that will just auto vacuum for you. We're looking into those, as the one that came with the house was broken. And it would be nice. Be warned. Giant spiders LOVE the skimmer basket and lid! Almost everyday when I open it there is at least one in there staring at me. And also, squirrels like to go swimming. As do mice (we live on a ravine. There are all kinds of critters in our backyard). I caught a mole in the pool filter the other day. He did not make it. :/ I am super paranoid about drownings!! I'm not too worried about my 5.5 year old-she has turned into quite the fish. Im less worried about my 4.5 year old, as he can swim to safety, but it's pretty disjointed. I AM worried about my 2 year old. We keep all the doors in our house locked at all times. There is a chain link fence surrounding our pool. The lock for it is fairly easy to open. For added peace of mind we have taken a bungee cord and threaded it around the gate. The kids can not work that yet. We are researching other fencing options-like a perimeter mesh fence that goes directly around the edge of the pool. And researching alarms that will sound if the door opens or if someone falls into the pool. I insisted on an extra umbrella policy on our homeowners insurance that specifically covers accidents and deaths. I am paranoid that we will leave for a weekend and the neighbors will go for a swim and something tragic will happen. That policy protects us. We have a heater for our pool. It's nice to have since we live in MI and Wes are unpredictable. I have not encountered people just stopping by wanting to swim. That might happen this sure, as our kids made friends at school and told them about the pool. We have told our family that lives here that they are always welcome, and they don't have to ask. They can just show up.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jun 3, 2015 20:17:08 GMT
I want a pool soooo bad. I bet we would use it constantly. DD and I are both water nuts, and it is warm enough to swim here at least 8 months of the year. How much money do I need to save up? I have a huge backyard.
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Post by sunnyd on Jun 3, 2015 20:27:31 GMT
Yes, you need a pool asap! We have one & it's the only reason I refuse to move. There are very few pools here (Utah). People don't show up uninvited but 1 person, who is not my favorite, does invite her family a couple of times each summer, which is fine. We have a deep end & love it because the kids love the diving board. Also have a slide that is awesome. We had one minor scare, with a church group of activity day girls. One girl pulled another girl out because the younger girl didn't realize the deep end was actually deep. We are extremely vigilant, paranoid & careful with lots of rules. We also have a fence & a retractable cover that a moose could walk on. DO IT!!
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MorningPerson
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Jul 4, 2014 21:35:44 GMT
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Post by MorningPerson on Jun 3, 2015 20:28:40 GMT
No one....not even the college kids....were ever allowed to swim alone. If I had to go in the house to get something and only one of the kids was out at the pool with me, they had to sit out until I got back. Basically we just tried to be really careful. When I was growing up we swam often in my cousins' pool. They had a very strict, written in stone rule that no one, no matter how old, could swim alone. It seemed then and seems to me now to be a really good rule to have. Recently when a friend of mine mentioned that her older teens will occasionally swim alone I told her about my cousins' rule, and she looked at me like I had two heads. Just curious, is this rule the norm, or the exception?
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MaryMary
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Jun 25, 2014 21:56:13 GMT
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Post by MaryMary on Jun 3, 2015 20:38:54 GMT
Thanks for all the responses so far.
Maybe showing up uninvited is a Mormon thing? Several people I know from church have complained about it.
If we put a pool in, we would definitely have one of those covers you can walk on, as well as a fence around it (more for privacy than anything because I don't have a backyard and the pool would have to be on the side of our house.)
And I guess I'm not as concerned about my own kids drowning (which isn't to say that I'm not worried about that) as I am of someone that was invited over. The stories I hear of drownings or almost drownings seem to mostly be during swim parties with a lot of people and a little one/non swimmer sneaks back into the pool while the adults are distracted. And no amount of liability insurance would make me get over that.
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Post by auntkelly on Jun 3, 2015 20:45:03 GMT
We've always had a pool. We never had a problem with people dropping in uninvited.
I love having a pool. I use it all the time. I like having a deep end because I wear a flotation belt and jog in the pool for exercise. You have to do it in the deep end.
We never had any near drownings. I always hired an off duty lifeguard to watch the kids in the pool when we had a swim party. My theory is that the more adults you have standing around the more likely it is that some kid will drown because everyone assumes everyone else is watching the kids.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jun 3, 2015 20:54:17 GMT
The house we lived in when my kids were born had a pool. We lived there until DD was 9 and DS was 8. I really, really miss it. We were in that pool almost everyday in the summer. My kids learned how to swim very early. I grew up in a house with a pool so I was not afraid of it and we have never had any near drownings. We did get a lot of friends who would come over in the summer to swim, but I never minded that. My friends always called first and usually brought food with them. So we did a lot of BBQ'ing. I wish we still had the house with the pool.
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Post by krc11 on Jun 3, 2015 21:01:32 GMT
We put in a pool when we moved into this house. I wished I hadn't spent the money on the pool. I guess it's okay - the kids used it a lot when they were kids and we did get to go the cheap route and have pool parties. Watch out if you have birthday parties and insist non-swimmers parents have to stay. I once had 17 kids arrive and only my two kids and my two nieces could actually swim. And the parents knew that only my husband and I were home and STILL left their non-swimmer kids because it was free babysitting.
Some neighborhood kids, yes, but not really friends. We did get volunteered for family summer events but that was fine. I wish friends would drop by occasionally.
We have a deep end. We had a large pool and couldn't go any deeper due to the drop off. It's not been a problem. I have heard of the volleyball pools and lap pools.
I was very worried about this early on. We got a pool safety net that was on the pool a lot in the beginning, and then only in the off season so I didn't have to watch the kiddos and then never. I had one kid fall in that I "saved". The kid actually probably would have been fine but I was super vigilent, saw the kid go under and jumped in the pool fully clothed to pull the kid out. And my dog fell in once. But he was fine once we showed him where the two walk-out areas were, then he was fine and went swimming all the time.
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Post by librarylady on Jun 3, 2015 21:06:46 GMT
We had an inground pool for about 18 years. Because our summers are so hot, we deliberately positioned it to receive afternoon shade. However that shade was created by a large oak tree. Oak trees around a pool are a huge PIA! In the spring, there are blossoms. In the fall, there are leaves....and twigs.. We filled it in, and replaced it with a large flagstone patio. After our son left home, I was the only one using the pool. My husband had to dip the pool EVERY day. He complained after awhile and I was OK with getting the nice patio. Drop-in swimmers: The only child who was a problem moved after 2 years. His mother was clueless as to the problem. One day I told the child, "You can only swim if your mother comes to watch you as I am busy with yard work." In a few minutes both showed up. The mother kept interrupting me to question what I was doing etc. I was annoyed and wanted to say, "Please leave." I was spineless and paid for not speaking up. Problem: The only time we had a problem--....We hired a 16 year old to be at the house with our son in the summer. He was around the age that he almost didn't need supervision, but we didn't like him being alone all day. Anyway, the 16 year old invited her sibling and friends to come swim. Fortunately, her parents hit the ceiling when their children reported on the great day that was had in our pool. They ripped her about the consequences if something had happened, not to mention hosting a pool party without permission. She called that night to apologize. I was foolish because it never entered my mind that I needed to say, "No friends in the pool." My husband likes to say, "2 greatest days for a pool owner: The day it is put in, and the day it is removed."
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Post by momstime on Jun 3, 2015 21:18:56 GMT
We put in a gunite, in gound, salt water pool in our last house. I loved that thing, but it was work and worry...most worry about keeping the water balanced. We had a few rainy summers when we just couldn't keep it from turning the color of Mountain Dew every three days. PITA! In good weather, it was easy, but it did cost us a small fortune in time and chemicals.
Our pool went from 3 ft to 8ft. We debated not having a deep end, but honestly that is where everyone hangs out...and they dive even when you tell them not to, so better safe than sorry.
We never had any accidents, thank God. I loved having the pool, but it did keep us from taking many vacations. Why go somewhere when you have a resort in your backyard?...or at least that was what the dh said all the time.
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caro
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Jun 26, 2014 14:10:36 GMT
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Post by caro on Jun 3, 2015 21:51:38 GMT
We've always lived in a neighborhood that had a community pool for the homeowners. When the kids were young it was fantastic. Now I take the grandkids. No lifeguard and a pool service so no maintenance. Not what you were asking but we LIVED at the pool. We all loved it.
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brandy327
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Jun 26, 2014 16:09:34 GMT
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Post by brandy327 on Jun 3, 2015 23:24:47 GMT
When I was growing up, my Aunt had a pool and we swam as often as we could in the summer. I've wanted a pool ever since. While everyone here tried to convince me that they'd use it ALL summer long if we got one, I wasn't convinced. So last year, we spent a few hundred dollars and put in one of the cheap Intex pools. Um yeah, best $300 spent ever. They really were in it almost every day and we used it ALL summer long - even me and dh. Now, this pool is only 16' across and 4' deep.
Thankfully, we have not had a lot of uninvited guests...actually just once and it was the neighbor girls across the road. They had a pool as well (just smaller than ours) but they asked to come over and swim with my kids. That only happened once because the neighbor girls were fighting and arguing. We never had any other uninvited guests.
We love this pool so much that in a couple of years when this pool doesn't really work anymore, we're going to spend the money to put in a nice large oval above ground. We'd love to do an in ground but we're in the land of granite and we'd probably have to blast to get an in ground in. LOL Way too pricey.
As far as the upkeep, we've been very fortunate in that the water we fill it with is decent (our town water) and so it doesn't take much in the way of chemicals to get it ready. We change the filter weekly and dh or I check the levels daily and add chemicals as needed. Once a week, one of us vacuums it - not hard, just takes a little time (15-20 mins).
I live in the northeast so we really only have pool weather for June, July & August...MAYBE a little in September if we have a good summer. But it's STILL well worth the money for us.
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Post by Miss Lerins Momma on Jun 3, 2015 23:39:33 GMT
I'm in the land of dreaming of pools too... so take my wisdom for what it's worth!
I think we would be so happy with a pool. I would like to think that we would stay home all summer and just swim the days away.
I can't imagine any friends showing up uninvited to swim, but I can imagine neighborhood kids would be a big problem. I would like to think that I would have a clear set of rules for them, so that they would learn quickly, that I wasn't running a public pool!
I would have a deep end... and a slide and a diving board (we are still dreaming, right?!) I don't really care what the "trends are" with all of that.
No drownings, but again, I am dreaming, just like you... so if anyone were to swim in my dream pool, they would know how to swim!
No other thoughts... it was lovely dreaming about a pool though. We have enough land (.99 of an acre) so technically, we could do it, but the way our yard and house are laid out, a pool would not be the best thing for us. Our neighbor puts up a little 3ft pool every year and the kids love playing it that, plus we have a membership to the Y, which has a fabulous pool. But it would be so nice to have one in our own backyard... at least I'm dreaming it would! I'm sure I'd hate the upkeep!
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Post by Linda on Jun 3, 2015 23:45:27 GMT
When I was growing up, my Aunt had a pool and we swam as often as we could in the summer. I've wanted a pool ever since. While everyone here tried to convince me that they'd use it ALL summer long if we got one, I wasn't convinced. So last year, we spent a few hundred dollars and put in one of the cheap Intex pools. Um yeah, best $300 spent ever. They really were in it almost every day and we used it ALL summer long - even me and dh. Now, this pool is only 16' across and 4' deep. Thankfully, we have not had a lot of uninvited guests...actually just once and it was the neighbor girls across the road. They had a pool as well (just smaller than ours) but they asked to come over and swim with my kids. That only happened once because the neighbor girls were fighting and arguing. We never had any other uninvited guests. We love this pool so much that in a couple of years when this pool doesn't really work anymore, we're going to spend the money to put in a nice large oval above ground. We'd love to do an in ground but we're in the land of granite and we'd probably have to blast to get an in ground in. LOL Way too pricey. As far as the upkeep, we've been very fortunate in that the water we fill it with is decent (our town water) and so it doesn't take much in the way of chemicals to get it ready. We change the filter weekly and dh or I check the levels daily and add chemicals as needed. Once a week, one of us vacuums it - not hard, just takes a little time (15-20 mins). I live in the northeast so we really only have pool weather for June, July & August...MAYBE a little in September if we have a good summer. But it's STILL well worth the money for us. We're about ready to take the plunge and buy an Intex pool (although we're looking to go a bit bigger than you have) partly to see if it'll actually get used and partly because we're not at the point of paying for a decent above ground yet. Glad it's worked out well for you. We have a much longer pool season here (Florida)
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Deleted
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Oct 6, 2024 17:32:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2015 23:52:43 GMT
I am lazy and I don't want to clean anything more than I have to.
So we got a club membership. We spent entire summers there.
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Post by tenacious on Jun 4, 2015 1:29:15 GMT
We put a pool in about 3 years ago. We love it! We have an In-ground salt water pool, and, yes, there is definitely upkeep, but, I don't think it is as bad as I was expecting. I think we probably spend about $800-$1000 per year on opening/closing/chemicals/etc. for all the use we get out of it, I feel that is money well spent.
We have a deep end, and don't regret it at all. I actually feel like it is safer, because you just have to assume kids are going to dive and jump (we have a slide), and I don't worry as much about them hitting the bottom at the deep end.
We don't have people drop by...there are quite a few pools in the neighborhood (even though we are in Utah), and I established a 'parents must accompany kids' policy from the get-go. My kids are older now, so I have eased up on that, but, it helped me feel more secure and in control in the beginning.
We are hoping to put our house up for sale this summer and build a new home, but, we may not be able to afford putting in another pool right away. We are pretty bummed about that because having a pool makes the hot Utah summers here bearable for this California girl. Just looking at the water cools me down and makes me happy.
Good luck with your decision. It has been great for our family--especially for my DH who has very little time for trips to the lake with kids...but, he can always find time to jump in the pool for a quick swim!!
Erin
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Post by ahiller on Jun 4, 2015 1:33:25 GMT
We love our pool. I couldn't imagine not having it.
Ours is large, 39x19 with 2 shallow ends and deep in the middle. If your kids are going to want to jump, then you'll want a deep end. We also have a sun seat/bench, which is great for my small kids.
We've never had anyone show up uninvited before but have had random neighbors who strongly hint. I just ignore them. We love our next door neighbors and they are invited anytime but hey, random lady behind us I've never met before, no you and your granddaughter aren't coming swimming. Nice try though.
We have pulled kids from the pool twice. Once, we had friends over and they were packing up to leave. One of their daughters, jumped right into the pool fully clothed (purposely, didn't fall in) and I jumped in after her. That wasn't terribly scary since we were all watching her and I was in the pool 2 seconds after she jumped. It was one of those situations where her mom was telling her no and she just looked at her and went for it and her mom just didn't move fast enough. I think she thought she was going to stop.
The worst time was when we had a bunch of my nieces, nephews and some family friends over one afternoon and my niece walked into the water without her mom knowing it. The scariest part was she was under the water about 5 feet away from me and another adult and no one saw her. Thankfully, my cousin asked where she was and we looked and saw her going under. We pulled her out and she was fine but it was a good reminder to me that children don't drown the way they show it in movies and tv shows. They aren't flailing around, screaming for help, they are silently under the water. I still think about that when I am in the pool. When my cousins come to swim, there are 9 kids, with 8 of them being 5 and under. On those occasions, my mom and aunt generally stay out of the pool so they can keep a better eye on things. It helps to have someone playing lifeguard.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,305
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:16 GMT
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Post by gina on Jun 4, 2015 1:38:34 GMT
We have a pool and it is the BEST thing ever! I can walk outside and sit on my deck, sunbathing, reading, etc, hopping in to cool off while my 3 kids happily play and I DON'T have to socialize with people I don't really feel like seeing at a community pool or beach? SOLD!
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Post by ahiller on Jun 4, 2015 1:42:35 GMT
We bought a house last year. It came with a pool. It is not very long, and is only 5 feet deep. I freaking love it!!! It is so nice, and the kids are having an absolute blast swimming almost everyday. I have not found it to be a lot of work at all. I check and empty the filters in the morning. No biggie. I dump in some chemicals every few days. Again no biggie. Right now I'm manually vacuuming the pool about once every 2 weeks. That takes some work, but it's not really hard you know? And they make robots that will just auto vacuum for you. We're looking into those, as the one that came with the house was broken. And it would be nice. Be warned. Giant spiders LOVE the skimmer basket and lid! Almost everyday when I open it there is at least one in there staring at me. And also, squirrels like to go swimming. As do mice (we live on a ravine. There are all kinds of critters in our backyard). I caught a mole in the pool filter the other day. He did not make it. :/ I am super paranoid about drownings!! I'm not too worried about my 5.5 year old-she has turned into quite the fish. Im less worried about my 4.5 year old, as he can swim to safety, but it's pretty disjointed. I AM worried about my 2 year old. We keep all the doors in our house locked at all times. There is a chain link fence surrounding our pool. The lock for it is fairly easy to open. For added peace of mind we have taken a bungee cord and threaded it around the gate. The kids can not work that yet. We are researching other fencing options-like a perimeter mesh fence that goes directly around the edge of the pool. And researching alarms that will sound if the door opens or if someone falls into the pool. I insisted on an extra umbrella policy on our homeowners insurance that specifically covers accidents and deaths. I am paranoid that we will leave for a weekend and the neighbors will go for a swim and something tragic will happen. That policy protects us. We have a heater for our pool. It's nice to have since we live in MI and Wes are unpredictable. I have not encountered people just stopping by wanting to swim. That might happen this sure, as our kids made friends at school and told them about the pool. We have told our family that lives here that they are always welcome, and they don't have to ask. They can just show up. Pier Kiss, we bought the alarm that sounds if someone falls into the pool and never installed it. I am in Michigan too. On the off chance that you would be interested in buying ours from me, let me know. I think I paid $800 for 2 of them since our pool was too big for one. Btw, my IL's in Vegas have that mesh fence and it's really nice.
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Post by chaosisapony on Jun 4, 2015 1:43:52 GMT
I miss having a pool. It was so relaxing! But then again, my parents were always the ones taking care of it...they got tired of it so there isn't a pool anymore. It is a lot of work and expense to keep up with pool maintenance.
Even when I was a kid in a cul-de-sac (10 years old when we got our first pool) none of my friends would show up uninvited to swim. They would show up to play but if we swam the kid would always have to go back home to ask their parents if it was ok and to change. We never had any near drownings or other health problems or scares crop up in the pool.
And no, we didn't have a deep end. We dug our pools ourselves and tbh putting in a deep end was just way too much work.
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